Drag-line excavator



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A. P. STEELE DRAG LINE EXCAVATOR 3 sheets-sheet 3 NVENTH l A. P. srffLE Br V/@M r TUHIVEY Filed Aug. 1a, :|921

40 fsaid cables can pass from one shea-ve to the ward pressure onthe boom base.

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

,i Urrea vATES ALEXIS I. STEELE, OF STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

DRAG-'LINE EXCAVATOR.

Application filed August 18, 1921. Serial No. 493,342.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALnxrs- I). STEELE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident 0f Statesville, in the county of Iredell and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drag-Line Excavators, of which the 4following is a specification.

The present invention relates to drag line excavators for digging and loading clay or other earthy material and has for an object the arrangement and positioning of the sheaves through which the` ycable supporting the bucket operates so that the path of travel of the cable from the operating drum mechanism to the end of the boom shall have as few turns as possible during the severalfoperations, thus preventing wear and tear in the cable and effecting asaving of power. f

- Another object of my invention is to position the sheaves so as to prevent a down- In excavators of this type, heretofore, the shea-ves have been supported by a post carriedy by f the turntable, the cables 'operating in the sheaves cause a downward pressure onl the boom base, which pressure renders the turning of the boomharder to accomplish.

Another `object of `my invention is to provide means whereby the lifting and the '.,operating cables operate between pairs of sheaves carried byr the A, frame andthe turn-table respectively when the boom operrates directly forward, and means whereby each" of said cables operate through a sheave in said pairs respectively when the boom is swung to the one side and thru the 'otherl sheave in said pairs when the boom is swung .to the other side, and means whereby the other. I n l The present invention isillustrated in the `accompanying drawings,1n which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation with a `portion of the frame structure broken away so as to show4 the sheaves and turn-table in clear view. Figure V2 shows a front elevation with the boom projecting to one side. r'Figure S'isa topplan view showing the turn-table and boom projecting straight forl:ward and adotted outline of the boom when Figure e shows a top plan view of the turn-table and drum operating the turntable with a portion of the upper surface of the turn-table removed showing the operating cable.

Figure 5 shows a front relevation of a modification of my invention with the boom projecting to one side Similar characters of reference are used to designate corresponding parts.

In the drawings as shown in Figures 1 and 2, I have shown the excavator 1 mounted upon a suitable base or carrier 2 which also serves as a combined base or carriage for the operating drums 3 and the engine l1.

In order to move the excavator from place to place and into position for digging and loading clay or other material, the carriage 2 is mounted upon side rollers 5. To afford a smooth path of travel for the rollers 5, f

planks 6 are laid down in advance of the traveling machine. After the excavator has passed over the planks, these can be taken up and rel-aid in advance of the moving machine.' Whenthe excavator is in operative position the carriage 2 is additionally supported by the blocks 7 one on each side thereof at the forward end and by ythe built up sppport 8 under the center of the machine and extending longitudinally thereof.

This support can be of any vsuitable struc-l ture. y f Supported by the base is aV derrick frame 10 which carries the sheaves or pulleys. The derrick 10 may be of any convenient structure and as shown is an A frame with vertical braces 13 andfhorizontal brace mem ber 21 and a guy ropel secured to bracket 50 at the peak. The. sheave-llis pivotally mounted on the peak of the kA frame through which operates cable 18 supporting Vthe boom 23 at the end 19 and midway of its length at 20. The sheaves 11 and`12 are pivotally mounted on the cross-brace 21 on pivot pins 22. The cross-brace 21 'is reinforced by braces 16. The yaxes of the sheaves 11 and 12 project inward and to the rear and a plane passing through each of said sheaves perpendicular to their axes respectively will be at an angle to thehorizontal, longitudinal and transverse lines of the excavator. v inthe plane ofthe cable 25jextending from the drum mechanism 24 to the sheave v26 mounted on the en-d of the boom 23.` When The sheaves thus positioned are "matelv a half circle.

the boom is swung tothe lett, the cable 25 will operate through the sheave Yl2 and the plane passing through the cable and sheave l2 will be at right angles to the axis oi? revolution'oi' the sheave l2. Likewise when the boom is swung to the right, cable 25 will operate through the sheave il kand the plane passing through the cable and the sheave willv be at right angle to the axis oi the revolution ot' the sheave 1l. It will be readily seen from the drawings that if the boom operates directly Yforward in the direction of the longitudinal medial line of the machine, cable 25 will operate tree of the sheaves 1l and l2 and will have a straight path ot travel from the drum 24 to the sheave 264situated at the forward end of the boom. The boom 23 is mounted on the turn-table 27 which in turn is pivotally mounted on the trame 30. The upper surface ot'frame 30 has a broad bearing surface 2S to accommodate the yunder bearing surface of the turn table 27 and the downward pressure of the base of the boom. rIhe periphery ot the turn-table is-grooved to accommodate the actuating cable 3l. llhis cable is operated by drum 43, the ends oit the cablebeing secured in the groove 29 of the turn-tablev 27 at 33 adjacent the cut out portion 37. 'Between the turn-'table and the drum 43, cable 31 passes around pulleys 32 mounted in bracket 35. This arrai'igement of the cable as shown in 'Figures 3 and l4 will aiiord theboom lan operating space in yfront of tne re.\:cavator approxi- Suppo-rted by the cross-brace 2l are the guide blocks 5l and 52 which slope inwardly j and are parallel' to the plane of the sheaves l1 and l2 respectively' and which support the cable 25 when the said cable is slack and` operate as a guide to position the cable infthe groove of the sheave l1 or 12 when the boom is swung to the side on which the respective sheave is positioned.

A conventional bucket 4() with bar 53 is raised or lowered by the cable 25 the bar 53 being secured to the bucket 40 by chains 54, said bucket being retained in a horizontal position by a slight tension on the cable 39 secured to the one end ot' the bar 53 and to the bucket 40'by the chain 55. The primary purpose of the cable 39, however, is to load the bucket 40 by dragging the same inwardly, the teeth 41 engaging the sheaves 44 and 45 which are pivotallymounted on the turn-table 27 on the pivot pins 47 and 48 respectively. It will be understood that when the boom is swung to the right or left the cable 39 will operate through the sheave positioned respectively on the right or left side of the excavator.

In order to position the cable 39 in the groove of the sheave 44 or 45, I have provided a guide block l5 carried by the turntable 27'and which supports the cable when the said cable is slack and operates to position the rcable in the groove of the sheave 44 or 45 when the cable is under tension.

In loading the bucket, I have found it convenient to position the cable 39 in a plane passing vertically through the center of the boom. For this purpose, I have pivotally mounted a sheave 49 in the cut-out portion 37 of the turn-table. The roller 46 secured to the boom operates to retain the cable in alinement with the groove in the wheel' of the sheave 49.

In Figure 5 I have shown a modification of my invention which is similar to the construction shown in Figures l and 2 with the exception that the sheaves 11L and l2a carried by the cross-brace 21 of the A trame operate in a horizont-al plane. A sheave 53 carried by the boom operates to direct the cable 25n into alinement with the sheave l1a or l2a when the boom is turned to the one side or the other respectively.

In my invention I employ any suitable motor power for operating the excavator but which is preferably a double drum hoisting device and a vertical stationary engine as illustrated in the drawings. A roof 9 protects the drum mechanism and engine from the weather.

I claim- 1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a boommounted toswing, an operating cable associated with said boom, means for operating said ca'blea pair of sheaves between which said cable passes, said sheaves being arranged in planes ofy rotation at an angle lwith each other andl guide means in front of said sheaves for positioning the cable in the groove of either sheave.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a boom mounted to swing, an operating cable associated with said boom, means for operating said cableeafpair of sheaves between which said rcable passes, said sheaves being arranged-in planes of rotation at an angle with each other and at an angle to the horizontal transverse line ofthe `machine and guide blocks between the sheaves and the boom end for positioning the cable in the groove of either sheave.

3. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a boom mounted to swing, an operating cable associated with said boom, means for operating said cable, a' pair of sheaves between which said cable passes, said sheaves being arranged in planes of rotation at an angle to the horizontal transverse line of the machine and at an angle to the horizontal longitudinal line of the machine and at an angle to eachother and sloping guide blocks arranged to position the cable in the groove of either one or the other of the sheaves.

4C. In a machine of the classdescribed, in combination, Ian A frame, a pair `of sheaves lying in planes of rotation at an angle With each other and at an angle to the horizontal longitudinal line of the machine, a boom mounted to swing, an operating cable associated therewith, means` Whereby said cable operates through one of said sheaves when the boom operates at one side and through the other of said sheaves when the boom operates on the other side, and sloping guide blocks operating to pass the said cable, from the one sheave to the other When the boom is turned from the one side to the other.

ALEXIS P. STEELE. 

